


Now And Forever More

by Ace Of Hearts (huntingmyths)



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dadgil, Fake Character Death, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Kidnapping, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:01:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22398238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huntingmyths/pseuds/Ace%20Of%20Hearts
Summary: He knew that Mundus was still out there, still looking for him. He would do whatever he could to protect the toddler, but he was running out of strength. He was exhausted and just wanted to rest for more than a handful of hours before they were on the move again.
Relationships: Dante/Vergil (Devil May Cry)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 94





	1. Prologue

Vergil never expected himself to be in this sort of position. When he’d fallen from Temen-ni-gru and been taken as Mundus’s prisoner, he had never expected this. With himself and Dante being half demons, it hadn’t even occurred to Vergil that this could be a possibility. But time had proved him wrong many times and seemed even more so this time.

The child curled up in his arms sleeping soundly as if there was no care in the world. Vergil could only wish he could be this calm, however. He knew that Mundus was still out there, still looking for him. He would do whatever he could to protect the toddler, but he was running out of strength. He was exhausted and just wanted to rest for more than a handful of hours before they were on the move again.

“Nero…” Vergil whispered, rubbing the child’s back. “My Nero.”

Nero was over a year old now and Vergil was moving even more to the idea of going to speak with Dante about protection for them. He couldn’t remain moving from motel to motel for much longer and he would have to begin finding work again - he could afford to purchase a home for them, but with Mundus searching for them, Vergil didn’t dare think of it as an option.

“Da?” Nero asked, looking up at Vergil who hadn’t realized his child had awakened. “Da.”

“Dada’s here,” Vergil whispered, kissing the soft white hair. “Dada’s right here, my Little Wanderer.”

Vergil listened to his son’s babbling as he closed his eyes. He wished he could ask his mother how she and his father had done it with Mundus around. How had they managed to survive running and eventually having a place to raise Dante and Vergil without the threat of Mundus? Or had it been Sparda’s power that had kept the demons at bay?

He got up when the child became fussy, moving over to the bag of supplies. He pulled out a blanket and lay it on the floor, putting the toddler on the floor and watching as the child toddled around while he pulled out a diaper and wipes.

“Nero, come here,” Vergil said.

The white haired toddler babbled as he ran over to Vergil who lay him down on the blanket to change his diaper. He sighed in frustration as his son squirmed on the blanket, though he couldn’t be too upset with the happy giggles and squeals coming from the child.

“You’re as bad as your other parent,” Vergil muttered, shaking his head as he eventually got a clean diaper on the squirming mass.

“Da hap?”

“Yes, Nero,” Vergil assured his son. “I’m happy.”

The toddler squealed in delight, clapping his hands as Vergil sat him up. Vergil couldn’t help but watch in amazement as his child hugged him tightly. How had he been able to raise such a good and happy toddler when he was running from such power as Mundus?

He fed Nero before they went outside, Vergil allowing Nero to run around the small clearing in front of the cabin they were staying in. He sat on a stump, watching as the toddler explored the strange flora that was around the area.

“Nero,” Vergil called out warningly as the boy started to stray away. “Come back.”

Nero babbled happily as he toddled back towards Vergil.

“Da see,” Nero said, putting his hands on Vergil’s knee. “Pre flow.”

“Pretty flowers?” Vergil asked, his lips quirking up into a smile. “Do you want to go inside for dinner then tomorrow we can go see Dante?”

“Da’te!”

“Then he can deal with your energy,” Vergil said with a small smirk.

“Da’te p’ay!”

“I’m sure he will,” Vergil agreed before he suddenly sensed demons nearby. “Nero, go inside.”

Nero toddled as fast as he could, though he happened to fall just as a Shadow lunged towards him. Vergil snarled as he shot into his Devil Trigger, slamming into the Shadow just before it landed a hair on his child. He growled in warning as more and more demons appeared, surrounding them.

“You’ve been hard to find, Vergil.”

The dragon demon tensed as a large bird appeared in the sky. It seemed Mundus had spared no expense to try and get Vergil back. He wouldn’t allow himself to be taken and his son abandoned to die.

Daggers appeared around Vergil, positioned to hit any demon that dared come close. He spun around to pick up Nero as the demons attacked. His daggers shot out at them, Vergil continuing to use the daggers as he held the toddler in a way that kept him from seeing the carnage.

“You have nowhere else to run,” Griffon’s voice echoed through the trees as Vergil ran.

“Da,” Nero whimpered fearfully.

“Silence,” Vergil soft muttered. “You’re safe.”

There was one thing that Vergil had never done with Nero in his arms that he knew he had to do now. Taking a deep breath, he froze time as he ran, hoping that it would last long enough to get them to safety.

As soon as he resumed time, he barely dodged a bolt of lightning. Cursing softly, he thought back to all those times since he’d escaped Mundus’s hold that he had thought of going to Dante. All those times he’d ignored the urge for Nero to have both parents because it would just lead Mundus to Dante as well.

Vergil turned back into his human form in time for a Shadow to trip him, Nero falling out of his grasp as a bolt of lightning struck the older demon. He didn’t cry out, though, not when he heard Nero screaming in terror. He had to get his son, had to get away and find some way to escape this hoard of demons who had come for him.

Opening his eyes, he found Shadows all grouped around in a circle as Nero continued to scream in fear and pain. He moved to get up, get rid of the demons surrounding his son when he suddenly smelled the familiar scent of the toddler’s blood.

Snarling, moved towards the sound of his child’s cries only to be hit by Griffon’s attack again. He fought through the pain, moving forward as blue daggers shot through the Shadows that eventually turned to attack him. One of the Shadows, though, had taken a form that glided the child away from Vergil and the rest of the attack.

Attack after attack, Vergil was hit until he fell to his knees, unable to keep going. There was laughter overhead by the large bird, its wings creating a gust that nearly sent Vergil flying.

“You have gotten weak,” Griffon said as he landed on the ground in front of Vergil, towering over the demon. “That child has made you weak, but you need not worry any longer. The child is no more.”

Vergil snarled, moving to get up only to be held down by a talloned foot covering his torso.

“Mundus ordered that we rid you of the child. Now that is done, we shall take our leave.”

With that, the demons all retreated. Vergil forced himself to get up, stumbling through the forest as fast as his injured body could carry him only to find himself at a stream where Nero’s scent stopped.

“Nero!” he called, his voice hoarse. “Nero!”

The only response he got were the sounds of a breeze rustling through the trees and the water of the stream. Vergil looked around and paused when he caught sight of strips of fabric covered in blood. Nero’s blood from the smell of it.

Collapsing onto his knees, Vergil carefully picked up the scraps of bloodstained fabric as he did something he couldn’t remember doing since that day when he himself was a child. Tears ran down his cheeks, his body shaking with the heavy sobs. He had lost his child - his  _ son _ \- to Mundus. He had let his pride and fear get in the way of telling Dante and having another demon able to help protect the toddler. He had lost the most precious thing in the world - more precious than his mother’s pendant Mundus had used against him, more precious than the  _ Yamato _ .

As the sun began to set, Vergil stood up and made his way back towards the cabin. Back towards the reminders of what had just happened.

His face went blank as he walked inside the small building. He grabbed Nero’s things, pausing at two stuffed dragons that was on the floor. Nero had picked them out only days ago, the first’s color the same shades as Vergil’s demonic form and the second one the same colors as Dante’s, though Nero couldn’t have known that when he’d started throwing a tantrum about not getting the second one. The child had barely put them down since getting them, clinging to the toys as he slept and as he ate. The stuffed animals offered a fake protection while Vergil went about ensuring their safety.

His gaze hardened as he thought about the future. He  _ would _ get revenge on Mundus for killing his son, but he would need help. He wasn’t strong enough on his own and Dante… Dante was an option, but not one he took lightly.

“Nero…” Vergil whispered as he took one last look at the cabin. “I’m so sorry… I couldn’t…”

**

“We’re closed!” Dante called as a soft knock echoed from the front door. Barely able to be heard by himself, let alone any normal human. “Come back tomorrow.”

There was silence followed by another knock, this one more hesitant than the first. It was strange that whoever it was was there at two in the morning, not to mention there was a storm raging outside bad enough that the pizza parlor wasn’t delivering that night. And it was also keeping Dante inside instead of getting drunk at a bar.

With a sigh, Dante stood up to get the door. Whatever he was expecting, his twin brother drenched in the rain with a bag clutched to his chest wasn’t it.

“Vergil,” Dante choked out. “How-?”

“I’m sorry,” Vergil whispered, his voice so quiet that Dante could barely hear it over the roar of thunder. “I’m so sorry…”


	2. Prologue Part 2

To say that Dante wasn’t expecting Vergil was an understatement. His twin brother had let himself fall into the Underworld - refused to let Dante help him - two years ago. Dante had no idea how he even got out of the Underworld when gates were supposedly hard to come by according to demons he’d spoken to. Then again, this was Vergil they were speaking with. His twin was nothing if not resourceful.

But this wasn’t the same Vergil that he had met on the top of Temen-ni-gru. This Vergil seemed confused and broken, almost as if he had no idea what to do anymore. Actually, that was a good description if the look of the half-demon sitting in wet clothes on Dante’s couch with a towel resting over his head meant anything.

There was also the bag that he refused to set down. It was clutched in his arms like a lifeline, almost as if he was terrified it would disappear if it left his hold.

With a sigh, Dante grabbed a bottle of fireball and two shot glasses before sitting next to Vergil. He silently uncapped the bottle, pouring a shot for each of them and holding one out for his brother.

“It’ll warm you up,” Dante said when he saw the confused look he was getting.

Vergil downed the shot and set the glass down on the table without bothering the towel or letting the bag leave his hold.

“You want to tell me how the hell you got out of hell?”

There was silence, Dante assuming his twin didn’t want to speak. Instead, he poured them two more shots, hoping to loosen Vergil up before their demonic sides sobered them up.

“A demon named Trish helped me,” Vergil quietly said, his voice hoarse. “When she found out…” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Trish, huh? Doesn’t sound like a very demon name.”

“I returned four months after our battle at Temen-ni-gru.” Dante’s eyes widened at that, but he remained silent. Veril would tell him in his own time, especially as it seemed as though he was in a talkative mood tonight. “I had been foolish, thought myself able to defeat Mundus on my own as Father did. Instead, I became his prisoner.”

“He try to have you take dear ol’ Dad’s place?” Dante teased.

The look on Vergil’s face instantly sobered the younger twin up.

“First, he tried to use my half of the amulet to force me to obey. Then, when he found out… when he…”

Dante watched as a tear slid down Vergil’s cheek. Whatever Mundus had found out about the older Sparda twin apparently wasn’t good at all.

“I was foolish, Dante.” The breaking of his voice made Vergil seem like a different person from the one Dante previously knew. It broke his heart to see his brother like this. “I thought it was safer to stay away from you, to keep Mundus away from you. But in the end, I should have returned. I should have asked for your help in protecting…”

Dante remained silent as Vergil opened the bag, pulling out a small picture from the inside. The younger, curious demon peered over to see what it was before he froze, stunned at what he saw. In the picture was a toddler with white hair and grey eyes, a professionally taken photograph that had the date showing a few months prior.

“Christ, V,” Dante muttered. “You have a kid?”

Vergil made a noise that was somewhere between a choke and a sob. Apparently what had happened to make his brother like this had to do with the kid.

“I tried to protect him, Dante. I tried, but there were so many of them. There were… there were so many…”

“Verg, you don’t have to-”

“You deserve to know.” That shut the half-demon up. “You deserve to know what happened to our-our son.”

“Our-?”

“Mundus didn’t know. I locked that knowledge away, denied it enough that even I began to believe it.” Vergil took a deep breath as he continued to stare at the picture on his hand. “Nero… his name was Nero…”

Dante’s demon snarled angrily at the fact that something had happened to their son. Why hadn’t Vergil to come to him as soon as he got out of hell? Did he think that Dante wouldn’t protect his own kin?

“What happened?” Dante questioned, hoping to calm his demon. “Vergil, what happened to Nero?”

“Mundus sent demons. I thought they were after me. That they would force me to return to the Underworld, back to Mundus’s prison until I followed his orders.”

Dante’s heart fell into his stomach as he came to the conclusion of, “They didn’t come for you.”

“They wanted Nero.” They were both silent as Dante took a gulp of Fireball straight from the bottle. He wished he could get drunk, would love to get drunk and forget about this whole conversation. “I was going to bring him here, I was planning on doing it the next day.”

“So Mundus has him?”

The moment Vergil said yes, he would go straight down to the Underworld himself to get his son back. He would reign hell down on the King of the Underworld to get his son back from his clutches.

But that moment never came. Instead, Vergil clutched the bag in his arms even tighter and let out a sob of anguish. That was the only response Dante needed to know what had happened. His demon let out cry of its own, though he was able to contain it - he needed to be the strong one right now.

“There’s a shower upstairs if you want to use it,” Dante said. “And a bed. I also think there’s some leftover food in the fridge.”

“You don’t hate me?”

The soft uncertainty in Vergil’s voice was so un-Vergil that Dante was unsure of how to respond or if he should respond at all.

“V, you tried to protect him. You weren’t expecting an attack.” He pulled Vergil into his arms. “The moment Mundus surfaces in this world, you and I will get revenge for Nero.”

Vergil nodded, sniffling as Dante ran his fingers through Vergil’s hair like he remembered their mother doing as they were kids. He listened as Vergil’s breathing evened out before he tilted his head forward to see that his twin had fallen asleep. He gently took the picture, staring at the happy toddler who was grinning broadly at the camera.

He stayed there just staring at the picture all night. It wasn’t as though he could sleep anyways with what Vergil had dropped on him going through his mind. 

It wasn’t until the sun began to rise that Vergil began moving in his sleep. His brow was furrowed and he was muttering something that Dante couldn’t understand.

“Nero!” Vergil shouted, jerking awake and looking around wildly.

“V,” Dante said, putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It was a dream.”

“Dante?” There was confusion in Vergil’s voice, probably unsure of where he even was.

“You’re okay. You’re safe.”

Vergil’s grip on the bag tightened again as he seemed to come back to the present, his expression going blank. Instead of commenting, Dante placed the picture on the table in front of them. He wasn’t sure what was going on in his brother’s head, but whatever it was couldn’t be good.

Eventually Vergil muttered, “I apologize for intruding, Dante. I had nowhere else to turn.”

“No worries. You, uh, want to put that bag down and go use the shower or something?”

There was a tenseness in Vergil’s muscles, though he did as requested. The bag was placed on the table before he made his way up the stairs, leaving Dante alone. The younger half-demon grabbed the glasses and alcohol to return to the cupboard before heading out to get breakfast - Vergil would probably kill him for only having pizza in the fridge.

By the time he returned an hour later, Vergil was back on the couch, but this time in clothes Dante recognized as his own - a pair of leather pants and a black t-shirt. He had also opened the bag and had a stuffed blue dragon in his hands, staring at it as if it held all the answers he was looking for.

“I wasn’t sure what you like,” Dante said after a few moments, deciding to make his presence known though it wasn’t acknowledged. He wasn’t even sure Vergil heard him talking. “So I got pancakes and waffles.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I know but I wanted.” Dante sat down, able to smell another demon coming from the open bag though it wasn’t bringing on a territorial rage from his demon. Instead, it made his demon want to cry out to find the demon the scent belonged to. “You got that for Nero?”

A nod was the only response he received.

“Tell me about him.”


	3. Chapter 1

“What’s a kid like you doing so far away from home?”

A sharp grey gaze looked at the large bird who was perched in the center of the colosseum. The bird didn’t seem ruffled by it at all, nor had its tone indicated that it expected anything other than seeing an eleven-year-old human child there with a book in their hand and a sword propped up nearby. In fact, this was more of a normal occurrence so much so that all demons tended to stay away from the colosseum because of that.

“Hello, Griffon,” the child said, not rising to the taunt. “Did Father send you?”

“What do you think after you disappeared without a word?”

The child ran his fingers through his white hair, sweeping it back from his eyes before turning his attention back to the book. He didn’t want to have this conversation with anyone, even though he would rather have a conversation with Griffon than any other demon on the island. It was better to be out here and read than deal with the conversation that he had with his father immediately before coming out here.

“Heard you asked about your other parent.” The book was snapped shut, the soft thud echoing through the silence. “It’s not the first time you’ve asked about it, is it?”

“Has anyone told you you’re a gossip, Griffon?”

Griffon laughed as he hopped over so his head was right in front of the child, mere inches away. The child just sighed, going back to his book. Perhaps he should go inside the cave that was filled with water where Griffon couldn’t fit. If he wasn’t going to be able to get peace there, he may as well find a different place. 

“Aw, don’t be like that. You know I’m just lookin’ out for you, Nero.” Nero frowned, continuing to stare at the demon with a blank expression. “What did Mundus say this time when you asked?”

Of course, it hadn’t been the first time that Nero had asked Father about his mother. But normally he was just told that it wasn’t a good time or he shouldn’t ask such silly questions. Of course, Father cared for him and raised him, but he’d read in books that demons like him came from two parents. He had always wanted to know the parent who had given birth to him as he knew he wasn’t just made like Trish had been.

This time, however, had been an answer he wasn’t sure he had been prepared to know. He definitely hadn’t been expecting this answer out of everything. Demons died giving birth so he had always assumed, but he wanted the confirmation from Father.

Only… that wasn’t what he’d gotten.

“Father said that he abandoned me,” Nero spat out the words, his eyes narrowing in anger. “That he didn’t want me anymore.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right. Mundus gave him the chance to come back, but he chose not to. Spardas tend to do that, but you’ve still got your dear ol’ dad and all of us demons who like you.”

Nero snorted at that. “You mean you and Shadow?”

As if called, a large black panther appeared at Nero’s side. He pet the demon behind the ears as it purred loudly at the attention. Out of all the demons there, Mundus had allowed Nero to have Shadow as a constant companion. At first it was just to look out for him, but as he got older, Shadow was a source of comfort.

“So what are you gonna do with the information?” Griffon asked. “Now that you know the truth, you just gonna ignore it?”

Nero frowned as he thought it over. That raised a good point, he could just ignore it and go about his life like nothing had happened. But he wanted to show the demon who had abandoned him that he was more than just a weak child. He was the son of Mundus, King of the Underworld and he had gained respect from the demons in his own right.

“I’ll let you know.”

Without another word, Nero closed his book and grabbed the sword that was propped next to him. He jumped off the ledge of the back of the stadium, landing on his feet before disappearing into the forest. It was one of the places that Griffon couldn’t follow him and Shadow knew better than to follow him unless asked. The large panther would meet him back at the castle.

He eventually came across an old cottage that was surrounded by flowers. He probably should have come here as soon as he spoke with Father, but he needed to get his thoughts together before he did so. He wasn’t sure if he should even come here, but this was the only place he knew no demons would come unless Father was angry.

The door opened before he reached it, which always surprised him that she knew he was coming. He stepped in, slipping his shoes off and propping his sword against the wall as soon as he was inside.

“I don’t like that look.”

He glanced up at a female human who was leaning against a wall. She had long blond hair and looked almost identical to Trish with the exception of a large burn scar on the right side of her face. She had been the one to care for him until he was four when Father had decided that Nero didn’t need her anymore. He still allowed the human to live, though, and Nero spent as much time with her as Father would allow.

She placed a plate of food on the table in front of the couch as Nero took a seat before sitting next to him. He took an apple slice from the plate and ate it as he leaned against her, letting her run her fingers through his hair.

“What happened this time?”

Nero frowned as he took another apple slice, muttering, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

The human hummed at that but didn’t push him to talk. That’s what he liked about coming to this old cottage. He could just relax and wasn’t forced to do anything or kill anything.

He finally became sick of the silence and muttered, “Father told me that my other parent abandoned me. That they didn’t want me and left.”

“What do you believe?”

“I don’t know…” He looked up into her blue eyes, noticing the way her eyebrows knitted together and her lips were quirked downward in a frown. He didn’t like seeing her unhappy, though he didn’t know why she was upset or what he could do to make it better. “I’ve only known you and Father, but… but Griffon mentioned Sparda and Father says that Spardas are bad.”

When Nero was growing up, Father had always called him a Sparda when he did something wrong or was too weak in a fight. He never knew that Sparda was an actual demon. He’d always thought that it was a term that meant “weak” or “useless” until she had explained to him that Sparda was a demon who was Father’s general but betrayed him and separated the human and demon worlds.

“Did you ever meet my other parent?”

“I knew him,” she agreed. “But that was a long time ago, years before you came into the world.”

“What was he like?”

“He was quiet.” Nero watched as her expression relaxed and a small smile appeared on her face. “He enjoyed sword fighting as much as he enjoyed reading. His favorite author was William Blake.”

“The poetry you read when I was young?” Nero asked in surprise.

She nodded with a soft hum of agreement. “You remind me of him, you know?”

Nero pulled away with a scowl at her words. He didn’t want to remind her of any Sparda and he would not allow anyone to. Even if he did have Sparda blood in him, he would prove that he was better than they were. He was the son of Mundus, King of the Underworld, not the spawn of traitors to his father.

“Come here, Little Wanderer,” she said, holding her arm out. “Let me hold you until Mundus calls for you.”

With a sigh of defeat, Nero did as he was told, curling up on the couch as he let her arms wrap around him. This was the only place Nero dared let down his guard. He didn’t need to be a demon prince or a knight. He didn’t need to be anything other than Nero.

His eyelids drooped as she hummed a song that she used to sing to him when she cared for him as an infant. Even after all this time, that same song could be used to calm him down and help clear his head.

“Love you, Eva,” Nero muttered as he began to fall asleep.

“I love you too, Nero,” she replied before going back to the song.

**

“Verg.”

Dante watched as his twin grunted from where he lay on the couch, a bottle of tequila in hand. He wasn’t surprised in the slightest that Vergil had decided to drink today. Of all the days in the year, there were only two days where he could expect to actually find Vergil on his couch without a book and where he could expect to come downstairs or back from a mission to find Vergil drunk off his ass. He didn’t blame his twin, but it had been ten years and Vergil still hadn’t truly recovered or confronted his problems.

With a sigh, Dante grabbed a glass of water and brought it over to the couch, sitting on the edge of the table in front of it.

“C’mon, Verg. You gotta drink some water.”

There was just another grunt as Vergil moved to lift the bottle up to his lips. Dante rolled his eyes as he took the bottle from his brother before watching as the older twin scowled but didn’t bother to try and fight for it back. They had both learned very early on that Vergil could barely stand, let alone have any chance of getting the bottle from Dante.

Dante watched as Vergil took a sip of water before he turned away, going back into the kitchen to get something for him to eat. He definitely needed to sober his twin up if he didn’t want to deal with Vergil’s hangover in the morning. And boy, he would prefer to deal with a sober Vergil over a hungover Vergil any day.

“You look like shit.”

“You loo’ li’ shi’,” Vergil slurred.

Dante just laughed in response as he lifted Vergil off the couch and slung him over his shoulder with one hand while he held a plate with the other. He carried Vergil upstairs and dumped him on his bed before putting the sandwich on the bedside table where an already full glass of water was sitting - at least Vergil had been practical with wanting to be hydrated in the morning.

After Vergil was in bed, Dante went back downstairs and started grabbing all the bottles of alcohol to hide until Vergil was sober again. At least once he got sober, Vergil wouldn’t start drinking again until the next date on the calendar like clockwork.

Once everything was hidden, Dante went to his desk and grabbed a magazine, flipping through it as he waited for the phone to ring. He was hoping it would be a slow day so he could keep an eye on Vergil. Morrison had probably given Lady any jobs that had come up - they both knew what Vergil was like on days like this.

The phone finally began ringing at ten o’clock at night, getting his attention. He answered the phone before lying that they closed at nine once he didn’t hear the password. What did people think his business was if they didn’t have the password?

The door being knocked down by a woman on a motorcycle definitely wasn’t what he was expecting. He just hoped that Vergil was still drunk enough to be in a deep sleep.

“Woah, slow down, babe!” Dante laughed from where he sat with his feet propped up on his desk. He watched as she got off the bike, looking at the skulls on his wall impaled by swords that he and Vergil had collected. “Well, well, what do we have here? Nature’s call? It’s in the back.”

“So…” she finally spoke, her voice oddly familiar. Enough to put Dante on edge though he hadn’t heard that voice in years. “You must be the handyman who will take any dirty job? Am I correct?”

“Almost.” He stood up, grabbing Rebellion from its place on the wall. “I only take special jobs. If you know what I mean.”

His eyes narrowed as he heard the next words coming out of her mouth. So she knew that he lost his mother and Vergil twenty years ago. But she must not have been paying much attention to know that his brother was still around. She also knew that he was the son of Sparda, which was something only other demons were aware of.

He wasn’t expecting to have the Rebellion used as a conductor for some electric attack, nor was he expecting to be knocked into his pool table and impaled with his own sword - not the first time, but it wasn’t as fun when it wasn’t Vergil he was up against.

The female demon continued to electrocute him before she grabbed the motorcycle, throwing it towards him. He began to shoot at the motorcycle, knocking it away and setting fire to the place. It would be a bitch to clean up, but he really didn’t care right now.

“I’m not your enemy,” she said, standing up. “My name is Trish. I came to seek for your help… to put an end to the Underworld.”

Now, this was interesting. Why him and not Vergil? Or did she know that they were both here and she was just playing dumb?

“Twenty years ago, Mundus, the emperor of the Underworld resurrected.”

“Mundus?” he repeated. That definitely wasn’t a name he expected to hear, nor was it a name he wanted to hear. Not after Vergil turned up on his doorstep ten years ago.

“Yes. His powers were sealed by Sparda. He’s attempting to gain control of the human world once again. He’s been preparing to open the gate on Mallet Island.”

Dante sensed his twin moving upstairs before he stared at Trish and said, “Give me two days and we’ll leave. Have some loose ends to tie up.”

Once she was gone, Vergil came downstairs. He looked worse for wear with bags under his eyes and his hair a mess, but at least he was alert.

“How much did you hear?”

“Enough.” Dante’s eyes met his twin’s, seeing a fire he hadn’t seen in years. “I will be the one to kill him.”

Dante stepped forward, placing a hand on Vergil’s shoulder. “Together. We do this together, Verg. For Nero.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took writing 3 different possible plots for chapter 1 before I was at least semi-satisfied enough to post this. What better way to write a fic than to torture Vergil some?


	4. Chapter 2

It was a sudden change in the air that got Nero’s attention as he stood in front of the statue that Father used in the human world. He could also feel Father’s glee at the fact this change - it had to be good if Father was pleased. Nero just hoped that Eva would be safe from whatever was coming.

“So they have finally arrived,” Father said. “I have a task for you, Nero.”

“Yes, Father,” the eleven-year-old agreed.

“Bring the one called Vergil to me. Do not allow yourself to be captured.”

Nero’s expression hardened at the familiar name. He recognized the name as one that Griffon had mentioned before. It was the name of his mother, the same demon who had abandoned him. He would do what Father asked and enjoy whatever torture Father had for him.

He made his way out of the room and towards the entrance of the castle. He perched high in the rafters, staring down at the two human forms that walked through. They may have human forms, but he could feel power coming from them and knew that form was merely a way to allow them to move more easily through the human world.

He watched as the one in the blue coat looked up towards him, though Nero was certain he didn’t know what was watching him. The demon had stopped walking, his eyes narrowing to try and see Nero better.

“Something wrong, Verg?” the second demon asked.

The demon - Vergil - shook his head. “Nothing. It merely feels as though we’re being watched.”

As soon as they left the main entryway, Nero jumped down into a crouch. He kept his eye on the doorway, aware that they could come back through at a moment’s notice. He had to figure out how to separate the two demons from each other.

Shadow appeared next to him, nuzzling his hand. He stared down at the demonic cat and ordered, “Stay with Miss Eva. Make sure these demons don’t harm her.”

As soon as Shadow was gone, Nero slipped into the shadows. He wanted to know how the demon would respond to his presence and figured he should find a way to try that without letting the other demon know.

**

“Something wrong, Verg?”

Vergil tore his eyes from the rafters to look at Dante who was giving him a concerned look. He shook his head, commenting about feeling as though they were being watched. He knew it was more than a feeling, could see a pair of eyes that looked hauntingly familiar in the shadows.

Had Mundus also made a clone of himself or Dante? Was that where those grey eyes had come from? Or was there another of Sparda’s that they didn’t know about? It was possible with how long their father had been around.

In the end, they split up to look for clues as to how to find Mundus and put a stop to him returning to the human world. It would have been safer to stay together, but Vergil wanted to find out who that demon watching them was. Why was it hiding when all other demons seemed to come out and fight them?

Vergil found his way into an empty courtyard that looked abandoned though Vergil could feel that same presence nearby. Instead of ignoring it and his better judgement, he moved towards it. He had to figure out if this was something that could harm Dante as well.

The sight of white hair caught his attention, causing his gaze to snap towards the walkway that had started to degrade. There was a child sitting on the edge who looked exactly as he had when he was a child down to the hair swept back out of his eyes.

As soon as he started walking forward, the child stood up and ran down the walkway. Vergil jumped onto the walkway before seeing that the child had disappeared only to appear on a higher walkway.

He continued to follow the child, extremely aware that this was a trap. The fact that the child continued to wait for him and turn to ensure he was still following was a dead giveaway. As was the fact that they came across no other demons. He could stop time and catch the child to demand who they were, but a more morbid part of him wanted to know where the kid was leading him.

They eventually arrived in a large stone room with what looked like a giant statue of some god with three eyes. As soon as Vergil felt the power coming off of it, he felt his muscles go rigid and his demon prepare for a fight.

“Vergil,” the deep voice stated. “I expected you to return much sooner.”

“Mundus,” Vergil coldly said.

There was movement out of the corner of Vergil’s eye, making him glance over to see the child with a gun pointed at Vergil’s head. The child’s expression held no emotion, but he could see something in the eyes. It almost looked like hatred, which made no sense to Vergil as to why the child would hate him.

“Lower the gun,” Mundus ordered. “That’s no way to treat the demon who gave birth to you.”

Vergil let loose a snarl at those words. That was the game Mundus was playing at, trying to use his son’s death as a way to create another demon and manipulate Vergil into obeying him. He had seen the torn cloth and the blood all over the stream’s bank. There was no way that this could be his son.

“Nero is dead,” Vergil snarled, not bothering to keep his demon restrained. “Killed by your demons.”

“You’re so certain. Did you find the body of your child or did you trade him for your freedom?”

Vergil triggered into his demon form before he felt multiple swords impale his body. Mundus’s voice suddenly echoing in his head as it had so many years ago. Only instead of beating him down, he saw images of his Nero being brought into this same room. He saw his Nero sobbing and begging for him.

The images continued to beat him down until he was on his knees in his human form. No physical torture that Mundus had put him through could compare to this. He trembled, looking at the boy in front of him, his little boy who was forced to grow up too soon just like he had.

“Nero,” Vergil choked out. “My Nero…”

“I’m not yours,” the child snapped, his voice cold.

Vergil swore he could feel his heart shatter at those words. His child, his Nero was here and he hated Vergil. He had left his child to Mundus instead of following and ensuring that he was safe. He should have gone after Griffon and ensured he had a body before just assuming Nero was dead.

Before he could say anything else, Mundus began bombarding him with images of Nero being “trained”. He watched as his son was injured repeatedly, beating the older demon down until he was begging for it to stop. By the time the torture was finished, Nero had left the room and Vergil was left on the ground. He stared up at Mundus, hatred in his eyes though he didn’t dare get up. He would do anything to have his son back. Even if it meant being Mundus’s servent.

**

Nero took off into the forest, going straight to the cottage. He found Eva tending to the garden in the back, instantly wrapping his arms around her waist. He hadn’t done this in years, but he needed to calm down and she wouldn’t tell him off for showing emotions. He was terrified as Father had shown him how images that he was sure he’d shown the other demon. He saw how much it hurt the demon to see them and it terrified him that Vergil hadn’t abandoned him.

What had affected him, even more, was seeing Eva being harmed in the back of those memories. He had been too young to remember that she was harmed because Father was angry as well. But to see her being harmed alongside him...

“Nero?” Eva asked in surprise as she looked down at him. She ran her fingers through his hair, rubbing his back. “What is it?”

Nero shook his head, trembling as he was led inside. Eva sat him on the couch, letting him cry on her. She didn’t try to make him talk, instead rubbing his back and running her fingers through his hair.

“You’re safe,” she assured him. “Whatever Mundus did to you, you’re safe.”

“H-he… he…” Nero choked out, trembling. “He-”

“Deep breaths.” He took two deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. “There you go.”

She got up before coming back and handing him a glass of water. He drank half of it before curling up against her. He couldn’t stop seeing the images in his mind, though he also had seen what Vergil probably hadn’t. Eva in the background trying to help him and being hurt for it.

“I’m sorry,” he choked out. “I-I’m sorry.”

“Little Wanderer, you never have to apologize.”

“Y-you were hurt. He hurt you because of me.”

“Who hurt me?”

“F-father. When I was younger. I-I didn’t realize-”

Eva ran her fingers through his hair, softly assuring him, “None of that is on you, Nero. I was the one who went against Mundus’s orders, not you.”

“But if it wasn’t for me-”

“He would have found another way to do something to me. I’ve been Mundus’s prisoner far longer than you’ve been alive.”

Nero frowned at that. He had always known that Eva was a prisoner, but she had never admitted it before. Instead, she would always change the subject if he asked. Something had changed if she was telling him this now. Had the other demon who looked like Vergil gotten to her?

“I-I can help you escape,” Nero said, speaking faster than he ever had before. There was so much anxiety filling him. “Father’s preoccupied with those demons he had Trish bring. T-there’s a boat and we can-”

“Nero, sweetheart, calm down.” He paused, looking at her sad smile. “There’s nowhere for me out there. I've been here for so long and I know this is where I’ll spend the rest of my days.”

“No. We-we can-”

“You have so much of your life ahead of you. I want you to do one thing for me.” He stared at her in question as she cupped his cheeks in her hands. “I want you to trust in Vergil and Dante. They’ll protect you where I can’t-” Nero could feel himself starting to cry at her words. “Promise me, Nero.”

Nero opened his mouth before feeling Father calling for him to return. He trembled fearfully, afraid of Father for the first time in many years. He didn’t want to return back to the castle. He wanted to stay here and protect Eva.

“Nero.” His eyes met hers, watching her with a sad smile. “Be a big boy, a man, huh?” He nodded in agreement. “If something happens, you must go with Dante and Vergil, forget your past and start a new life as someone else. A new beginning.”

“I don’t want to go,” Nero whispered before cringing as he felt Father’s anger at his delay. “I have to protect you.”

“Promise me, Nero,” she said quickly. “Shadow will make sure I’m safe. I know you asked him to protect me.”

Nero quickly nodded before she shooed him out of the cottage. He quickly made his way back to the castle to find Vergil still with Father. Nero kept his face blank, hiding what had happened with Eva in the back of his mind. He didn’t want Father to hurt her because she told Nero to trust Vergil and Dante - he wouldn’t trust them even if she said to.

“Bring Dante to me,” Mundus ordered. “Then I will deal with you and that human you’re so attached to. I want the other half of the amulet that seals this world from the Underworld.”

Nero tensed at that but said, “Yes, Father.”

He turned and left the room, going to try and find this Dante. He had to find him and get the amulet for Father. Perhaps if he did this quickly, he would forgive Nero’s disappearance to speak with Eva. He could convince her to leave after this too.

He found the red-coated demon, watching him cautiously. He had a different kind of dangerous vibe compared to Vergil. Vergil kept a tight containment on his demon and they felt similar when he had turned into his demon form. With this demon, it felt nearly as dangerous as Father which scared Nero. It was what Eva would say was a Wolf in Sheep’s clothing.

“You wanna come out?”

Nero tensed at those words before asking, “Are you Dante?”

The demon turned around as Nero stepped out to reveal himself. He saw the demon’s gaze move across him, eyes narrowing as Nero gripped his sword tightly in his hand. He wouldn’t hesitate fighting to defend himself if this demon wanted to attack him.

“Vergil asked me to come find you,” Nero said, noticing the blood-red pendant around the demon’s neck. “He needs your help.”

Nero tensed as he watched the demon’s eyes turn red as it sniffed the air. He watched as it growled out warningly, causing him to take a step back. Did Father expect this demon to try and kill him? Was this why he sent Nero to get the amulet?

After a few moments, the red disappeared from the demon’s eyes and he asked, “What’s Mundus got on you, kid? You really that eager to follow his orders?”

Nero scowled at that comment. What other reason did Nero have than the fact that Father had told him to do this? He would always follow Father’s orders, but that wasn’t the only reason and he knew it even if he would never admit it. Least of all to this demon who knew nothing about his life.

As soon as the demon took a step forward, Nero took a step back. Only that put a large grin on the demon’s face. Probably not the best movement and Nero knew he’d be in trouble for showing his fear to this demon. He wasn’t supposed to show fear to any demon who wasn’t Father.

“What’s wrong, kid?” Dante asked with a grin. “Not scared of a little demon, are you?”

Nero scowled as he watched the demons take another step towards him. Only this time, the young demon remained where he was. That just seemed to amuse the older demon more, walking forward until he was within arms reach of Nero - Dante’s arms, not Nero’s.

“You really got some big cojones, kid. I’ll give you that much.”

“You came here for Father, didn’t you?” Nero asked, taking glee in the surprised look on Dante’s face. “That other demon, Vergil, he agreed to help Father take over this world as well as the demon world. They just want your amulet.”

“Sounds like a good story, kid, but I know my brother wouldn’t do something like that. But if you want the pendant, come take it.”

Nero frowned as the demon took off at a run. He followed behind as fast as he could, though he knew this place better than this demon did. This was his home and he’d grown up wandering through the halls of the castle along with the rest of the island.

They made their way into the forest, Dante and Nero both destroying Father’s demons. He knew better, but they were all lesser demons and Father could make more. His goal was to stop Dante and if this demon was destroying demons on his way, he couldn’t help it.

They eventually stopped in a clearing, ensuring all demons were gone before Dante grabbed Nero and held him on the ground. Nero snarled, his clawed hand swiping to try and free himself.

“Enough,” Dante said, his voice echoing with his demonic voice. “C’mon, kid. I know there’s something else you’re keeping.”

“Why did you come here?” Nero asked. “Besides Trish asking you to come. There’s a reason Father knew you’d come.”

He watched as Dante took a deep breath before answering, “Mundus’s demons killed my brother’s child. Been waiting ten years for him to surface.” Nero remained silent, watching the demon for any sign of attacking. “What about you, kid? I can tell you don’t want to do this.”

“He’s my father. I’m supposed to-”

“You sound like you’re trying to tell yourself that, kid. Try again.”

Nero chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Father has a human on the island. She’s his prisoner, but I don’t know why. She’s been on this island for a long time. H-he said that he’d deal with her because I went to her after…” He choked on a sob. “I just want her to be safe.”

He thought back to the promise Eva had him make. She trusted these demons even though she hadn’t seen them in years. She trusted them to protect Nero and take him somewhere he wouldn’t be hurt by Father.

“I help you save your friend and you help me stop your old man, got it?”

Nero snarled at that before getting his demon under control and saying, “I don’t care what you do, I just… I just want her to be safe.”

“Take me to her and we’ll come up with a plan.”

“I-I can’t. If Father finds out…”

Dante moved off of Nero. “If I find where she is, you were just chasing after me, right?”

Nero hesitantly nodded in agreement as he motioned towards the direction the cottage was. Dante took off with a grin, letting Nero herd him towards where Eva was. He was sure that Eva would be upset with him for bringing Dante there, but he would deal with her disappointment in him if it meant she was still alive.

They came upon the clearing as Nero felt Father close by. He was suddenly hit by lightning, causing him to scream in pain. It was a familiar pain, but it still hurt. He could feel Father’s anger at him as he fell to his knees, trying to force himself to stand back up.

“You have disobeyed me.”

“Father-”

The cottage was suddenly struck by lightning, causing Nero to cry out.

**Author's Note:**

> Who would have guessed that writing a Dadgil fic while listening to the Tarzan soundtrack was a bad idea?


End file.
